Comparative Directorial Styles: Edlund, Rohl, Singer, Scgricca, and Manners

[bowtrunckle]

This originally was intended to be a small comment for spnematography’s episode discussion for “Reading is Fundamental” (7x21), but it grew into something bigger and took me too long to post in a timely manner for the discussion prompt.  So, weeks months later, here it is.  Whoops, deadlines.


Part of what had me befuddled by 7x21 was the fact that it didn’t feel like a typical SPN episode.  I think part of it was there was so much exposition as Edlund was gathering the threads that spun into the season finale.  Many things needed to be set up (Sam and Dean’s “quest” as deciphered from the tablet), characters had to be put back into play (Meg, Cas, Crowley), and, of course, for continuity and logical reasons angels had to appear and then be dispensed of.  However, that was just the plot, which doesn’t account for the whole impression of the episode.  After all there’s execution, how the story is told visually, and that’s helmed by the director and cinematographer.  Serge Ladouceur has been the magic man behind the cinematography every single episode from day one, so I think a big part of what set “Reading is Fundamental” apart from other SPN episodes was the result of the director, Ben Edlund, and his directorial style.

Based on the two SPN episodes Edlund has directed to date (“The Man Who Would be King” (6x20) and “Reading is Fundamental” (7x21)), it seems he favors static camerawork and “fixed” blocking for exposition-heavy ensemble scenes.  The result, as I see it, is a multitude of talking heads in a room.  And in an action-oriented show that features only two main characters, having scenes with upwards of 8 characters standing still and talking at each other with relatively fixed camerawork feels foreign.  First I’ll show two examples of Edlund’s work that highlight these assertions.  Then a handful of other regular SPN directors’ work for similar scenes will be compared to demonstrate that much what has been discussed is a result of Edlund’s choices, his directorial style rather than convention.

Edlund: “Reading is Fundamental” (7x21) The ensemble cabin scene where Hester bites the big one: (0:08-1:06).  Note: the easiest way to “see” what the camera is doing is to turn off the sound so the dialogue isn’t distracting.

Click to view

Camerawork: Notice we’re treated to a steady camera (no overt camera shaking unlike a subsequent example (Rohl)) and eye-level shots that toggle between over-the-shoulder medium, medium close-up, and close-up shots of individual characters (mostly Dean, Cas, and Hester) (screencaps 1-3) interspersed with an establishing shot showing the position of all the characters in the room (screencap 4).  This is in contrast to using rack focus, zoom/dolly (Singer), pans, low- or high-angle (Sgriccia, Singer), or even crane and complex (likely steadicam) (Manners) shots as well as framing techniques (Rohl and Sgriccia) used for similar scenes, all which create a sense of movement.



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Blocking: The characters stand relatively still and in place for the duration of the scene.  The only perceived “movement” is Inias disappearing and then reappearing with Kevin, and even that is strangely static as it’s inferred motion.  This is in contrast to more dynamic blocking choices and movement by the actors that isn’t overtly necessitated by the script (Rohl, Singer), which inject action into the scene.

To demonstrate that the above example isn’t an anomaly, in Edlund’s other episode (“The Man Who Would be King” (6x20)), you can see the same propensity for a steady and static camera toggling between eye-level over-the-shoulder, mid- and close-up shots of single characters (screencaps 5-8) as well as characters standing still and talking at each other.

Edlund: “The Man Who Would be King” (6x20) the ensemble confrontational scene where Cas’s dirty secrets are revealed: (0:52-3:00).  Embedding is disabled, click here for YouTube link.



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To see if this was more likely specific to Edlund’s directorial choices rather than convention or if it was also the hallmark of other of regular SPN directors (Rohl, Singer, Sgriccia, Manners), I took a look at other group scenes that featured at least four characters and had a lot of exposition and little (likely scripted) action.

Rohl: Camera shake, framing, rack focus, and more dynamic blocking.

“….And Then There Were None” (6x16) Winchesters and Co. encounter the Campbells: (0:33-1:01 and 1:22-2:47). Embedding is disabled, click here for YouTube link.

Camerawork: Watch the edges of the screen and you’ll see the camera shake throughout the duration of this scene.  This alone gives a subtle sense of movement and tension.  In additional to the typical individual close-up shots of each character, we also get single shots where we see multiple characters’ reactions either by framing characters with other characters in the scene (0:34, 0:47-0:49) (screencaps 9 and 10) or by alternating our attention to different characters through the use of rack focus (0:43-0:46) (screencaps 11 and 12).  These shots replace the need to use two or more static close-up shots to show the same thing.



9. Framing Samuel with Sam and Dean.



10. Framing Gwen with Sam and Dean.  This shot also shows how deep space is conveyed by showing depth.  There are 4 "visual layers": Samuel in the foreground, Sam and Dean in the midground, Gwen in the background with a view into a hallway behind her.



11. Rack focus.  The camera is focused on Rufus.



12. Rack focus.  The focus is pulled to Bobbby.

Blocking: The scene was set up such that less prominent characters (Rufus and Gwen) were in the background.  When they became more important (Rufus) or their reactions and allegiance needed to be highlighted (Gwen, who comes to stand next to Samuel), they moved into the foreground with the rest of the characters.  Furthermore, at 2:04 Samuel walks to a desk and sits down followed by Gwen who places her gun behind him.  Because there are no verbal (scripted) cues to indicate these actions were necessities (unlike Dean barging into the room holding a gun to Samuel), they were likely directorial choices that added movement to the scene and allowed for new framing configurations and shot compositions.

Singer: Zoom/dolly, centered close-ups, low-angle shots, rack focus, and dynamic blocking timed with emotional high points.

“The Man Who Knew Too Much” (6x22) Cas goes on a power trip: (0:00-3:55).  Embedding is disabled, click here for YouTube link.

Camerawork: Instead of a continual supply of eye-level close-ups, low-angle close-ups (Cas and Dean 0:52-0:55) (screencaps 13 and 14) are interspersed throughout the scene.  Another deviation from typical conversation scenes that also ignores the rule of thirds is Singer’s propensity to place characters directly in the middle of the frame (Raphael 0:32-0:42 and Cas 3:31-3:55) (screencaps 15 and 16).  This stresses the importance of the character by making a visual impact.  But Singer’s most utilized and recognizable techniques are the slow zoom and the slow dolly shot (if you see multiple of slow zooms or slow dolly shots in a scene, 99% of the time Singer will be the director) seen at 0:13-0:17, 0:52-0:54, 1:57-2:22 with the most dramatic use reserved for S6’s climax (3:35-3:55).  Not only is the dolly shot* (rather than a zoom in this case) cued to the music, it piggybacks other techniques to heighten its effect and make it purposefully noticeable: it’s faster, has a greater range (medium- to extreme close-up), starts from a low angle and rises upward, and features a single character (Cas) occupying the center of the frame.  Quintessential Singer.



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Blocking: Movement coincides with emotional high points in the scene and doesn’t have any overt verbal (scripted) cues, making it likely they’re directorial choices.  Cas walks away from Dean and Bobby as he underscores the growing rift between them by saying, “I saved you … you doubted me, fought against me....” (0:55-1:13).  Dean walks closer to Cas before his big pleading speech (1:52), and Cas steps closer to Dean (2:46) as he renounces Dean as his family.  Additionally, camerawork and blocking can be used together to elevate the director’s desired effect.  In this case, rack focus is also used in conjunction with movement to help direct the viewer’s eyes.  The camera toggles from Cas to Dean (1:07-1:14) (screencaps 17 and 18) and Cas to Sam (3:09-3:16) (screencaps 19 and 20) as Cas, in both instances, physically turns toward each brother.



17. Rack focus timed with movement to direct the viewer's eye.  All attention is on Cas.



18. Rack focus timed with movement to direct the viewer's eye. All attention (even Cas's) is on Dean.



19. Rack focus timed with movement to direct the viewer's eye.  The viewer and Sam are looking at Cas.



20. Rack focus timed with movement to direct the viewer's eye.  Attention is now being shifted to Sam at Cas turns toward him and focus is shifted.

Sgriccia: framing and composition, rack focus, tracking, low- and high-angle shots.

“Point of No Return” (5x18) The real Adam Milligan cops an attitude: (0:00-3:22). Embedding is disabled, click here for YouTube link.

Camerawork: The scene opens with a tracking shot across Bobby’s doorframe leading into the study, revealing a visually balanced shot showing all the players facing Adam, who is sitting in the middle of the frame (screencap 21).  Sgriccia (like Singer and Bee) seems fond of balanced, photogenic shots and often has compositionally interesting and pleasing set-ups that lend themselves well to being made into striking screencaps (0:03, 0:05, 0:27) (screencaps 22 and 23).  There are multiple subtle low and high-angle shots (0:08, 0:27, Sam and Adam 2:24-2:52) (screencaps 24 and 25), and the use of rack focus (Dean to Cas 0:56-0:58, 1:16-1:18,) (screencaps 26 and 27) replaces the need for multiple static shots and allows the viewer to see multiple characters’ reactions in one shot (Dean and Adam 1:07-1:10, Cas and Dean 1:21-1:23) (screencaps 28 and 29).  At the emotional high point of the scene, the camera moves in on Adam (2:51-3:03), underscoring the dialogue that conveys his motivation and sets the tone for his relationship with Team Free Will.



21. The decreasing heights of the characters directs the viewer's eye to the center of the screen.  You could draw a line connecting the tops of Sam and Bobby's heads and a line connecting the tops of Cas and Dean's heads and both point straight at Adam, the character driving the scene.



22. This shot obeys the rule of thirds.



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24. Slightly low-angle shot.



25. Slightly high-angle shot.  I like how the slight perspectives in this cap and the previous one mirror the sibling relationship and the power dynamic (Sam the older brother who is making a case for Team Free Will, Adam the younger brother who is captive and outnumbered).



26. Rack focus with the focus on Dean.



27. Rack focus with focus pulled to Cas.



28. Rack focus with Dean in focus, showing Adam's reaction in the background.



29. Rack focus with the focus pulled to Adam as Dean turns to look at him.

Blocking: Besides Adam and company standing up at 1:33 the characters remain in place, so the sense of motion is derived mostly from the camerawork.  Interestingly, all the characters here are sitting or standing at different heights, adding subtle variety to the typical over-the-shoulder shots as they’re angled slightly up or down (Sam and Adam 0:28-0:39) (screencaps 30 and 31).  I think the multitude of shots as well as using tracking shots and rack focus lends to more visual variety, making the scene feel less visually monotone even though there is very little actual movement by the actors.



30. The slightly low-angle shot again (see screencaps 24, 25, 31).



31. The slightly high-angle shot that helps parallel the power dynamic and character relationships (see screencaps 24, 25, 30).

Manners: “floaty camera” (Steadicam) with long, continuous camerawork, rack focus, pan, and crane shots.

“Scarecrow” (1x11) The bad guys make big plans for Dean: (29:25-30:26 in the actual episode).  Thanks to el1ie for editing and uploading this clip!

Click to view

Camerawork:  More than any other SPN director to date, Manners' directorial style was the most dynamic and nicely contrasts with Edlund’s more staccato-feeling static style.  This scene appears to have been shot almost entirely with a Steadicam.  It can be seen by the way the camera pans from character to character (29:30-29:45, 29:54-30:04), eliminating the need for cuts and resulting in longer takes and more fluid, complex camerawork.  Out of the 61 seconds of this scene, over half (35 seconds) is partitioned between 3 long takes.  The highlight is the final crane shot where we float out from a close-up of Harley’s face and up, ending with a striking high-angle shot (God shot) looking down at the cluster of umbrellas as the rain falls around the lens (screencap 32) (30:16-30:26).



32.  So pretty.

Blocking: The characters stand in place for the duration of the scene, so the sense of movement comes entirely from the camerawork.  Wow.

Based on the discussion above, I think Edlund’s directing style-that uses almost exclusively medium and close-up shots and blocking that requires little to no movement-contributes to a more static-feeling scene and, once edited, conversations that are back-and-forth visual volleys between characters.  This is in contrast to a handful of other regular directors who integrate a variety of camera shots and techniques that allow for more dynamic and fluid scenes more typical of SPN’s visual style.  I think Edlund’s directorial style coupled with the vast amounts of exposition explain why “Reading is Fundamental” (7x21) felt different than other SPN episodes.

*This is actually a compound shot, a dolly shot that also has a component of vertical movement usually achieved by mounting the camera on a pedestal.